Hawthorne: If we want better, we must be better

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of articles about the individuals seeking office in Albany’s Nov. 5 municipal election. First in the series are candidates seeking the Albany City Commission’s Ward VI seat.

ALBANY — Combined with his time as a soldier and civilian, John Hawthorne has decades of public service under his belt. That is what he says makes him uniquely qualified to be the next Albany city commissioner to represent Ward VI.

A graduate of Albany State University, Hawthorne retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel. He has worked with Procter & Gamble, Ford Motor Co. and as Albany’s deputy director for community and economic development following the Flood of 1994.

“In 1993, I retired and my wife Alice opened a business,” he said. “(After the Flood in 1994) it was at that time that my wife encouraged me to use my military and civilian experience to help with the recovery effort.

“It was then that my public service spirit sprouted. I thought I would go into the private sector after my contribution with the city ended.’”

Hawthorne has worked as a business instructor at Albany State and was a deputy planning and redevelopment director for the city of Sarasota, Fla. He was once the executive director of Highlands County Habitat for Humanity, served a gubernatorial appointment to the Florida Housing Finance Corp. and has been on the Albany Utilities Board of Directors.

He attends New Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Baconton, where he serves as a deacon.

“My role as a deacon is to serve, as stated in Philippians 2:3-5,” Hawthorne said. “That’s what kind of guides me. My role as a deacon and as a commissioner (can) intersect. This gives me another platform to have a greater outreach to the community.”

As part of his campaign platform, he has developed a declaration for the citizens in Ward VI. Focusing heavily on the concept of community engagement, the theme is “Together We Can!”

“We the citizens of Ward VI hereby declare that we will no longer be the forgotten ward,” the declaration said. “Like a Phoenix, Ward VI will rise from economic disinvestment, slumlords, dilapidated buildings, crime and political neglect. As taxpaying citizens, we won’t allow the city to make us fight this battle by ourselves. TOGETHER WE CAN!

“(We will promote change) by using our collective community will to challenge the prevailing political will. With a collective voice fueled by our collective will, we will make every effort to make a difference in the lives of Ward VI residents and businesses.”

The challenge Hawthorne issues to citizens is to maintain what they value, better advocate for needed improvements, keep their properties and streets safe and clean, better educate youths for the future, hold city staff and elected officials accountable, and be more vigilant about holding each other accountable.

Hawthorne said his pledge is “to be the advocate and leading voice of Ward VI by working collaboratively with the collective body politic and city staff to ensure that the recovery that was promised after the flood is completed so that we truly become ‘One Albany’ — for all citizens.”

“The biggest thing is I’ve learned is not one person can speak for the entire community,” he said.

Speaking from a unified position is critical to making a difference, Hawthorne said. A specific example he cited was a proposed solar farm that was recently voted down. The chamber was full of people at that commission meeting.

“When they saw the community came together in opposition (it compelled the commission to oppose it),” Hawthorne said. “If it had just been one or two people, I think the outcome would have been different.

“That is my message to the people of Ward VI. If we want better, we must be better.”

During the 1994 flood, homes and businesses were destroyed. Hawthorne’s observation is that recovery in Ward VI did not reach the level it did in other areas of the city.

“We had a core contingency that said ‘this is my home,’ and would not move,” he said. “Recovery did not extend into Ward VI, and in some cases, it is in worse condition now than before the flood.”

Hawthorne said he never considered himself a politician, preferring to stay on the other side of the table. He also said he has a desire for public service and believes that a person is led toward a particular path by God that does not often match up with what a person is comfortable with.

He said that if he is elected, he will look for ways to build bridges “so Ward VI can enjoy the benefit other areas of the city takes for granted sometimes.”

The candidate said Ward VI is home to slumlords and shuttered businesses. New residents do not come because of violence issues, both real and perceived, and for new residents considering a move to the area, they are worried about changes in property value over time.

“From my family’s standpoint, they may want to live elsewhere,” Hawthorne said.

Food deserts and recreation are also concerns Hawthorne said he wants to address.

“All these things are things I have worked on in other places,” he said. “I feel uniquely qualified. I’ve done it before. That is not to say that my opponents are not qualified in their own way.”

As part of his platform addressing community engagement, Hawthorne said he wants to establish a listening post in a place that makes commissioners and city staff more accessible.

He said he had something similar during his time in Sarasota that worked out well.

“I want to do something similar to that,” he said. “There has to be a way to be easily accessible. Some may not easily get to downtown.”

Frequent town hall meetings can better inform citizens on why a vote was taken and the impact it has, he said.

Hawthorne points to the development of a $13 million recreation center in Sarasota during his time there to illustrate the power of collective will. Apart from opening up more opportunities, he said, recreation could solve the issue of youths with idle hands who often find themselves in trouble.

“I am very passionate about that because I think this cycle of violence is just that — a cycle,” Hawthorne said. “We have to get beyond reactive to proactive.

“Is it realistic to eliminate? No, but we can certainly minimize it. That should be the goal. Right now, the environment encourages it.”

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